PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume III, Issue 256, 7 April 1875, Page 3

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Tuesday, April 6. NEW MEMBER. The Speaker announced that he had received a communication from his Honor the Superintendent, stating that Mr James Hay bad been elected for Geraldine in room of Mr T. S. Tancred, resigned. auditor’s report. The report of the Provincial Auditor, with accompanying papers, was read as follows: “ Provincial Audit Office,, “April 6th 1875. “To the Speaker of the Provincial Council. » gir ( I have the honor to enclose the accompanying papers for the information of the Provincial Council : “1. A comparative statement, showing the amounts voted by the Provincial Council in the last session, the sums expended, unexpended, and the amounts expended under the special orders of his Honor the Superintendent without vote. “2. An abstract of the quarter’s accounts, ending March 31st. “An abstract of the accounts of the various Road Boards for the year ending December 31st, 1874, “ 4. An abstract of the grants to, and the expenditure of, the various school committees for the year ending September 30th, 1874. “5. A return of the various road districts and showing approximately the school districts in each; also, the rateable value of property, the amounts realised by the household rates and school fees, and the actual expenditure in the maintenance of schools by each committee, omitting the balances to their credit. “ 6. A return of the revenue and expenditure of the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works for the year ending November 15th, 1874. « 7. An abstract of the receipts and expenditure of the Province of Canterbury, from March, 1868, to December 31st, 1874, this being a continuation of the statistics of the revenue and expenditure of the province from the beginning of the Provincial Government in Canterbury to 1868, and already published. “ This return will therefore complete the accounts for a consecutive period of twentyone years, reference to it will afford information as to the cost of any department of the Provincial Government service, or of the revenue derived from it for that period.

“I am glad to be able to inform the Council that by the adoption of a course approved by the Provincial Government, I have been successful in obtaining a very satisfactory audit of the accounts of the vari us school committees. Only one or two of these committees remain in default. These cases show the necessity for more stringent powers being reposed somewhere; these accounts are incorrect, and there are no vouchers in support of alleged payments. “ I have also, at the suggestion of his Honor the Superintendent, projected a form of account for all Government property and stores. Some of these are becoming very important, and it is necessary to bring the departments under a system of accountability which has not heretofore existed.

“ This form of account, approved by his Honor, and based upon the plan in use in the Storekeeper General’s Department, will be immediately brought into operation, and a periodical examination and audit will be made, so'as to secure to the Government a perfect control in future. “ It would be desirable that a like return should be required from all the school committees who have in their custody proprety of considerable value in the form of furniture and apparatus. “ The items of expenditure without vote, and under special orders, are as follows: Police Contingencies £1238 15 2 Maintenance of Schools ... 8195 14 0 General Contingencies 88 3 1 Public Works do ... ... 178 9 5 Railway Expenses ... ... 6616 13 0 Clearing Halswell 50 0 0 Immigration 2027 18 0 Timaru Hospital 124 11 3 Charitable Aid 947 11 9 College ... ... ... ... 108 18 6 Contingencies, B 225 2 3 Bridge, Heathcote ... ... 123 18 6 New Jetty, Akaroa 207 12 6 Contingencies, C 962 1 8 Total ... £21,095 9 1 “ it will be necessary that a vote be passed, authorising this expenditure in accordance with the terms of the Provincial Audit Act, 1866. 1 have also appended to this report the balance sheet of the operations of the railway department for the nine months ending the 31st March. “This balance sheet shows a credit of £14,667 10s 4d. “ The account is made up upon the same principle which has hitherto prevailed. I take note only of the actual operations of the department as shown by the books of the Treasury and the Railway Department itself. In this credit balance there is an unusually large amount due to the service. At the close of the nine months ending the 30th June, 1874, the amount then due was £1959 2s from all sources, and there was probably a corresponding amount due by the service. At the present time this has grown to £9055, exclusive of imprests, and unless prompt

measures are taken this will presently be largely increased. Under the Audit Act all sums not absolutely paid during the currency of a financial period lapse, and cannot be dealt with until revoted by the Council, and the revenue due to the service becomes revenue of the succeeding period of appropriation.

“The Council will observe that the appropriation,whether for nine months or twelve,includes always a period of like extent. The liabilities of the first month in every Appropriation Act, are in part necessarily and to some extent wholly so, those of the previous one. So also with the revenue. The passenger revenue is always brought up to within one day of the close of the financial period, but the freight earnings only to within a fortnight of that time. This principle has always prevailed, and inasmuch as the accounts have for the seven years of the operation of the railways been so dealt with, there is practical! 3no difference in the result, let the method o i manipulating the accounts be what it may. “ 1 regret that owing to the absence formerly of any systematic storekeeping, the account now rendered does not shew the expenditure of stores under the usual subsections of the Appropriation Act; this has been consequently massed together, as there is no record in the accountant’s office of their allocation to their respective sub-sections. The result is immaterial.

“ I am happy to add my testimony to the exceeding care which is taken by the railway engineer in his system of accounting. The business of his department is necessarily intricate from the extent of works under his control.

“ The present value of stores, which has been carefully ascertained to date, should be debited to the departments, and in order to avoid confusion I would respectfully suggest that a separate vote be taken in the Appropriation Act under the general head of stores and that the distribution of these should be made at '. east quarterly, “ The large amount due to the service is a subject which requires careful consideration, and ought not to be allowed. These claims should be sent in weekly, or at most fortnightly, and the accounts peremptorily collected.

“ I have omitted to state that in the quarterly abstract of the accounts under the heading of railway woiking expenses, there is charged there the sum of £3875, which belongs to the renewal fund. This item is not incorporated into the account under notice. «it is due to the officers of the accountant’s department that I should bear testimony to the great labor they have given to the preparation of the accounts, so as to enable me to strike this balance at so early a period, had they not consented to and cheerfully have worked till the small hours of the morning for some days past, it would have been impossible for me to have furnished you with this statement. “ I have the honor to be, sir “ Your most obedient servant, J, Ollivier, “ Prov. Auditor.” The Secretary for Public Works moved that the report, with the accompanying tables, be printed. The motion was agreed to. the railways. The Secretary fob Public Works,— Sir, I may state for the information of hon members that on the occasion of going into committee of supply to-morrow, I shall take the opportunity of making a statement as to the present position of the railways. fHear, hear,"! akaroa harbor light. Mr Westbnba asked the Secretary for Public Works what steps have been taken by the Government to carry out the resolution adopted last session relative to the erection of a light at the entrance to the harbor of Ak^ro&i The Secretary for Public Works said that the Government had been in communication with the General Government on the matter, who had proposed that a coastal light should be established at a cost of £SOOO, which should be provided by the Provincial Government. The Provincial Government replied that it could not see its way clear to ask the Council to vote so large a sum as this for a work which they considered should be undertaken by the colony. They expressed their willingness to contribute the sum of £IOOO which had been voted by the Council at its last session for a harbor light at Akaroa. It was estimated that the sum of £1750 would be required for the erection of the lighthouse for a harbor light. The General Government could not see their way clear to adopt this proposition, and the matter therefore remained in abeyance. Later on in the session the Government would be prepared to say what steps they would advise to be taken in the matter.

LIBRARY AND HOUSE COMMITTEE. The Provincial Secretary moved—- “ That a library and house committee be appointed ; the committee to consist of the Speaker, Messrs Gray, Haskell, Parker, Westenra, and the mover.” The motion was agreed to after some remarks from Mr Potts as to the committee not reporting during the last session. MESSAGE FROM HIS HONOR THE SUPERINTENDENT.

The Speaker intimated that he had received Message No 1 from his Honor the Superintendent, transmitting the Imprest Supply Bill, 1875, and recommending the Council to make provision accordingly. IMPREST SUPPLY BILL, 1875. The Provincial Secretary moved—- “ The suspension of standing orders in order that the Imprest Supply Bill, 1875, may pass through all its stages.” The motion was agreed to, the Bill read a first time, and ordered to be printed. In moving the second reading, The Provincial Secretary said that the Bill provided for the payment of the monthly salaries, the contracts for fodder foi the police department, and the sum of £800( for the dredge which had been ordered from England. Of the sum £IO,OOO voted for this purpose, £2OOO had been sent home towards the amount. He might say that the authorities at home recommended that the dredge should be sent out on board of ship. Mr Bluett, before voting on this matter, wished to ask what was the position of the country as regarded the inspection of sheep. He found that the country was in a pretty mess, nearly 25,000 sheep being declared scabby. [An hon member -250,000.] That made matters worse. He might say that he had sent some sheep on to a show ground, and thence to the sale yards, when he was told they could not be allowed to go in, as they had contracted scab. He wanted to know who was responsible for this state of things, and to whom the owners bad to look for compensation.

The Provincial Secretary said that the Inspectors were doing their best in the matter, and that to-morrow he hoped to be able to lay a report and papers on the table, from which the hon member would be enabled to gather the whole facts of the case. Hon members would see when the papers were laid on the table that every effort had been made by the Inspectors to meet the contingency which had so suddenly arisen. Hon J. T. Peacock asked the Government whether those papers would show when the sheep would be released from quarantine. At present there was one owner who had sheep on the show grounds of which only one ram had been near the sale yards, and yet he was prevented from delivering. The motion for the second reading of the Bill was then put and agreed to. The Council went into committee on the Bill, Mr Webb in the chair, when the Bill passed without amendment, was reported to the House, read a third time, and passed.

PAPERS. The Secretary for Public Works laid several papers on the table connected with his depaitmcnt. The Provincial Secretary also laid several papers on the table.

LOCAL ANALYST. Mr Potts moved—“ That the Government be requested to lay on the table copies of correspondence relative to the appointment of a local analyst.” He had put this motion on the paper to elicit from the Government some information as to the reason why so long a period had been allowed to elapse. Sir Gracroft Wilson seconded the motion.

The Provincial Secretary said that immediately on the conclusion of the session of the Provincial Council a letter was sent by the Government to Mr Joshua Strange Williams, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the College, asking that Professor Bickerton’s services might be placed at the disposal of the Government. To that letter no reply had been received; but he might say that there was no building in which the operations of the local analyst might be conducted, and further than that, that Professor Bickerton would expect remuneration for his service. This was all that had been done. He would however, lay the letter on the table.

Mr Rayner was surprised to hear the Provincial Secretary come down with such a statement as he had made. When the matter was brought before the Council, the whole of the members supported it most warmly. Mr Montgomery pointed out that the delay had occurred from the fact, that the College authorities had not made any arrangements as to the remuneration of the analyst. The Government, he might say, were fully alive to the importance of the subject, but until the College authorities moved, the Government were unable to do anything. Sir Cracroft Wilson was astonished to hear what had fallen from the Provincial Secretary. When they had been expending thousands of pounds in every direction, they were told that, with perfectly qualified gentlemen in their midst to carry out analyses, there was no habitation for him. He trusted that the Government would see their way clear to carry out the erection of a building for this gentleman as soon as possible, so that he might have a local habitation and a name.

Mr MASKELL thought that, seeing the Governors of the Canterbury College had not answered the letter of the Government as to whether their professor could be engaged for the work, the next move should have come from them, and he did not think that the Government were to blame. Mr Bluett said that, like the President of the Executive, the hon member who had last spoken endeavored to shift the responsibility of the matter on to the Canterbury College. If they found that Professor Bickerton could not be obtained, they had plenty cf time and plenty of money at their disposal to have got some one else to prevent the public being poisoned as they were at present. The Secretary for Public Works pointed out that the resolution and sense of the House distinctly pointed to the securing of the services of Professor Bickerton. The Hon Mr Buckley thought the Government were to blame for not having taken advantage of the Act of the General Assembly, and brought the powers at once into work. Mr Andrews thought that the impression left on the minds of the public was that the services of Professor Bickerton, though connected with the College, could be available for all the province. [Hear, hear.J Mr Webb said that this matter had been before the Board of Governors, and it had been held over on account of the funds for the erection of a laboratory, being insufficient. The present building in which Professor Bickerton had to carry out his experiments was far from being suitable in any way for the work. He might say that the Board of Governors felt quite as interested in this matter as any of the members of the Council. Mr Potts, in reply, said he trusted after what had been said that the Government would go to work vigorously and carry out the provisions of the Act under which he had brought forward his resolution. The motion was then put and agreed to on the voices. BILLS. The Secretary for Public Works moved for leave to introduce the following Bills, viz.: A Bill intituled the Diversion of Roads Special Ordinance No 1, 1875 ; for leave to introduce a Bill intituled the Diversion of Roads Special Ordinance No 2, 1875 ; for leave to introduce a Bill intituled the Diversion Jof Roads Special Ordinance No 8, 1875; for leave to introduce a Bill intituled the Diversion of Roads Special Ordinance No 4, 1875 ; for leave to introduce a Bill intituled the Diversion of Roads Special Ordinance No 5, 1875 ; for leave to introduce a Pill intituled the Reserve No 93a Ordinance ; for leave to introduce a Bill intituled the Reserve No 1599 Ordinance. Leave was given, the Bills read a first time, and ordered to be printed ; and the second readings fixed for next sitting day, except in the case of the Diversion of Roads Special Ordinance No 4, 1875, in which the second reading was fixed for Tuesday next. With respect to Reserve No 93a Ordinance, the Secretary for Public Works intimated his intention of referring it to a Select Committee, and the second reading was fixed for Tuesday next. The same day was fixed for the second reading of Reserve No 1599 Ordinance. FENCING ORDINANCE, 1875, Sir Cracroft Wilson moved for leave to introduce a Bill to be intituled the Canterbury Fencing Ordinance, 1875,

Leave was given, the Bill read a first time, ordered to be printed, and the second reading fixed for Tuesday next. RESIGNATION OF MR MARSHMAN. Sir Gracroft Wilson moved—“ That al! correspondence and papers relative to tinresignation of Mr Marshman, late general manager of the Canterbury Railways, be laid on the table.” He presumed there would be no objection to lay the correspondence on the table, hence he would not take up the time of the Council on the matter. Mr Potts seconded the motion, which was agreed to. The Sec betary for Public Works—l beg to comply with the motion, and lay the whole of the correspondence and papers rela tive to the resignation of Mr Marshman, as general manager of the Canterbury Railways, on the table of the House. THE RECENT OUTBREAK OF SCAB. Mr Dixon moved for a copy of the departmental c- rrespondence in connection with the recent outbreak of scab in the province. He thought it was monstrous that one large sheepowner should be allowed to have scab amongst his she' p, to the detriment of the other flocks in the province. The province had been paying a large sum of money to inspectors to put down scab in the province, and to carry out their duty, which they had not done. [Hear, hear.] The adjoining runs to the Glenmark property had been scabbed by the proximity of the scab in the sheep of this person, and he said that the Provincial Government of Canterbury were a party to the depreciation of property in this part of the province. To his mind it was quite time that the inspectors were changed, as they had trusted them quite long enough without any effect resulting therefrom. [Hear, hear.J Therefore it was necessary that they should have the papers before them so as to be able to judge of the position of affairs. The progress of settlement in the part of the province he had alluded tc was retarded considerably by the imbecility of the Government in this matter. Mr Bluett seconded the motion. He considered that the Government should do their utmost to make the correspondence on the subject public. It was a great shame that the Government should allow a man to be a perfect scarecrow to his neighbors, and to introduce scab and other diseases where they had not existed before. He, therefore, trusted that the Government would lay the papers before the Council, so that the membeis might understand the position of affairs. It was a matter of the utmost importance to flockowners to be able to move their sheep, and it might be the ruin of them if they were confined to their paddocks by means of this, prohibition. Mr Jebson thought that the Government were the best judges of the steps to be taken, but there was a general opinion that there was no necessity for the prohibition. The Provincial Secretary said that he would lay the whole of the correspondence and papers on the table the next evening, until when it would perhaps be better to defer any further discussion. The motion was then put and agreed to on the voices. TONNAGE CARRIED ON THE RAILWAYS. Mr Wynn Williams moved for returns showing the tonnage of goods carried on the railways for the months of November, December, January, and February last; showing also the loss occasioned by the difference in the charges of carriage under the reduced tariff. He wished to have these returns to show the results of carrying certain commodities on the railways which he thought would show very important results. He might say that from the Gazette he found that a loss was occasioned by carrying merchandise, coals, and sawn timber. He had not been able to get the grain statistics; hence he had put the motion on the paper for the purpose of eliciting the information from the Government.

The motion was agreed to on the voices. Notices of motion having been given, the Council adjourned to five p.m. this day. NOTICES OP MOTION. Wednesday, April 7. Mr Parker— To ask the Secretary for Public Works if he will lay on the table all the correspondence on the subject of the extension of the Waimate Branch Railways, Mr Buckley —To ask the Provincial Treasurer when the Government intend to lay on the table of the Council a return of the receipts and expenditure for the district south of the Rangitata, made up to 31st March last. Mr Maskbll —To ask, whether since last session, any steps have been taken to complete the inspection of Preemptive Right lefc unfinished at that date, and whether any steps have been taken, or are contemplated, towards dealing with those Preemptive Rights marked ,4 Bad ” in the Report of the Inspector of Preemptive Rights. biR Cracroft Wilson—To ask why Mr Horniman’s sheep, being: in a diseased state were permitted in violation of law, to travel from the Waikara Flat to the Christchurch cattle sale yards, between the 20th and 24th of February last.

Mr Harper —To ask the Provincial Secretary if the Government intend to introduce an Ordinance during the present session to regulate the management of public libraries in the province. Mr Maskell to move—That his Honor the Superintendent be respectfully requested to proclaim all that district comprised within the Kowai and the Ashley Road Board districts an agricultural district within the meaning of the Canterbury Trespass of Cattle Ordinance, 1872.

Mr White to move a reply to the address of his Honor the Superintendent.

Mr Montgomery to move—Forleave to introduce a Bill for an Ordinance, to be intituled the Canterbury Municipal Corporations Revenues Ordinance, 1875. The Provincial Secretary, to move— That a respectful address be presented to his Honor the Superintendent, praying that he will send down to this Council a recommenmendation to grant a sum of £21,095 9s Id, being the amount of the unauthorised expenditure incurred under the special orders directed by his Honor to the Provincial Auditor since the last session of this Council. The Provincial Secretary, to move— For leave to introduce a Bill intituled The Public Domains Ordinance, 1875. The Provincial Secretary, to move— For leave to introduce a Bill intituled The Quail Island Ordinance, 1875. The Secretary for Public Works—To ask that the Bill intituled The Reserve No 93a Ordinance, be referred to a Select Committee, consisting of Messrs J, N. Tosswill, T. 11. Potts, C. J. Harper, Knight, and the mover, with power to call for persons aud papers, and to report within ten days.